Social media training – 8 questions to ask before you do it.

Social media training high up on your agenda? Want to learn how to use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest or Instagram for your business?

There are a myriad of people and organisations out there offering social media training but how do you know which one to go for? Here are 8 questions to ask about your social media trainer before booking:

What is their knowledge based on? Trainers with real-world experience are the best. They are not just talking about the theory behind social media; they have actually ‘lived’ it. Has your social media trainer successfully managed other businesses’ accounts themselves, with proven return on investment (ROI)? And by ROI, we don’t mean increasing likes or followers. Anyone can do that.

How practical is their training? You don’t want your money or time to be wasted on padding. Spending the first half an hour talking about the history of social media is not time well-spent. Neither is waffling about social media theory. What you want is practical tips and examples of how you can put your social media training into practice for your business as soon as you leave the workshop.

Can they show their training works? It’s easy to provide a few testimonies on a website about how people enjoyed the workshop but can the trainers give you case studies, or even better, the phone numbers of delegates who have turned their training into increased profits?

Is the training pitched at my level? If you are an absolute beginner, you want it to start with the basics, but don’t be fooled into thinking that’s the most important thing. Your social media training still needs to be strategic and practical. If you are experienced at using social media, then it’s worth finding out whether the content is right for you too. Ask the social media trainer what you will gain from the course.

Will the training be long enough for me? If you really want to learn how to use LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter effectively for your business then don’t expect to learn about all three during a course lasting a morning. A social media course which fits the criteria in this post should last a minimum of three hours to truly have the ability to have an impact on your business. And don’t be afraid to ask about a longer course if you want more in-depth training.

Who else will be there? If you want social media training tailored to your business a bespoke workshop would clearly be best. But if you would prefer to learn with other business people then it’s worth asking how many will be in the social media training with you. Half a dozen would be ideal, ten or under would be acceptable, more than ten should ring alarm bells. The more people there are, the less chance of having your questions answered and the workshop meeting your needs.

Will the training be strategic? It’s very easy to go away from social media training and do nothing with what you’ve learned. Without knowing why you’re using social media, who the target audience is, how to measure the results, how you’re going to turn your social media activity into ROI, there is a strong likelihood your social media marketing will fail.

Will there be wi-fi at the training venue? Is this really so important? Well, it’s a warning sign that if there is no wi-fi your training may end up being death by PowerPoint. We know that presentations can be done well but social media training is so much better if it can be personalised to you. With wi-fi, or a live workshop, it’s much easier to show your Facebook page or LinkedIn profile and talk about it during the workshop. Plus, you can be shown how to do something in real time.

And a bonus ninth question! What follow-up will there be? Research shows that 55% of the value of training is in the follow up. Not the workshop itself (10%). Good course design is responsible for the rest of its effectiveness. How will your trainer ensure the delegates act on what they’ve learned? Will the trainer follow up with the delegates in person to ensure they’ve done what they’ve promised?

Ask the above questions and if you don’t get the answers you like then shop around. There are enough social media trainers out there – you just need to ensure you find a good one!

By Mark Saxby. Mark is a director of Status Social, one of the UK’s first specialist social media consultancies. Status Social has trained nearly 3,000 people how to use social media with their objectives at the heart of every workshop.